Game Dev Story

Game Dev Story is nothing like those other "story games” you’ve no doubt played by now. Instead, it’s an interesting strategy game that has your team filling contracts and creating games. You’ll need to balance the game’s hype with advertisements, but also create a quality game. This is done through hiring staff, debugging games, composing music, and keeping morale up. As team boss, your responsibility is to micromanage your staff to get them to put out the best quality product they can.

Unfortunately, its impossible to put out a quality game on the first try, so you’ll need thick skin to survive the brutal critic reviews (what do critics know anyway?). Taking on contracts might not be the most fun way to earn money in the game business, but in Dev Story there’s simply no way around it. After a few years in the business (and a few fluff jobs to increase your studio’s income) you’ll be ready to start making the big blockbuster games.

Don’t worry, when your employees light on fire it’s actually a good thing.

Across Age

Across Age is the kind of retro game that every hardcore gamer needs to give a shot. It’s a bit like A Link to the Past meets Dragon Quest, from the excellent retro-fied graphics to the completely contrived story. There are tons of puzzles and, eventually, the ability to control time (a la Chrono Trigger). Even though the game’s roots are clearly defined (if not a bit poached), there’s still a ton that’s just new enough to feel like 1 6-bit gem you never knew you missed.

The game comes in several different versions with several different prices. The DX version ($2.99) offers retina display and looks fantastic.

Uno HD

Uno isn’t exactly retro, but we’ve never covered it, and where better than in a Game Time covering the wonders of a bygone era? Uno is the exact game you remember, and it looks and plays perfectly on iPad. Bright graphics and plenty of modes make this one as much a charmer as it was when we played it years ago. There’s not much more to say about it then that.

You know Uno.

That’s it for this week’s GameTime. If you’d like to see a game featured, or add to our game previews, sound off in the comments!